Mountain Musings

Not From Scratch But Still Good!

It's late, and I'm just getting around to posting. It's been cold outside today but warm inside, and the day has been filled with lots of quilting--hopefully pictures another time. The vintage-cloth, quilted placemats were picked up at a yard sale several years ago.

Sarah made this Butter Pecan Cake tonight, and it was warm, moist, and delicious! Here's the recipe:

1 Box Betty Crocker Butter Pecan Cake Mix

3/4 cup oil

4 eggs

1 cup water

1/4 cup pecans

1 can pecan coconut frosting

Combine mix, oil, eggs, water and beat well. Add icing and pecans to batter. Yes, add the can of frosting to the batter and mix well. Bake on 350 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes. No need for any icing. Yum!

~Deb

Family Outing

Saturday evening the family ventured up the road to Log Cabin BBQ--a restaurant we knew nothing about and for which we had no recommendation. Tom had spotted the rustic log cabin alongside the road near Massanutten Ski Resort awhile back on his work travels and kept it in mind for a possible family excursion.

I have to admit that what we saw on the outside wasn't encouraging. The sign looked dilapidated with the C in Cabin falling off; the parking lot was unpaved with a few mud holes around back where we turned around; and there were only a couple of cars there...hmm, not good signs. Our usual M.O. in situations like this is to send in our trusty guinea pig, Tom, to check it out for us. Since he had already seen a menu previously, he decided we would just "go for it." Pepper, who was along for the ride in the back of the van, whined pitifully as she watched her family desert her.

We walked in and found our own booth as we took in our surroundings--country, down-home atmosphere, a couple of diners feasting on large platters of ribs, and the sound of Smoky Mountain Hymns being played in the background. Hmm, good signs.

Our waiter explained the various bbq's they served---beef or pork, with a tomato sauce base or North Carolina style with a vinegar base. Three of us opted for platters--sliced beef and a couple of pulled porks--and two of us ordered a sandwich. Everyone's opinion: thumbs up and worth a return trip another time.

My blogging friend John, is a real connoisseur of bbq. I wonder what he'd think of Log 'abin BBQ.

~Deb

Friday Fun!

Just a little end-of-the-week fun! This homemaking meme has been making its way around a lot of blogs this week. (I found it first here.) Here are my answers to the A-B-C questions.

Aprons - Y/N? If yes, what does your favorite look like?  Yes. Although, I'm more in love with the idea of aprons than actually wearing them because, to be honest, I forget to put one on when I'm in the kitchen. My favorite is my fruit and jam apron.

Baking - Favorite thing to bake: brownies--fudgy, chocolatey, rich, gooey, delicious Ghirardelli brownies

Clothesline - Y/N? No. We had one when I was growing up, and I still remember how frigid my fingers were when helping hang laundry. I'm very thankful for my dryer.

Donuts - Have you ever made them? No, I haven't myself. But the various ones Sarah has been experimenting with lately have been outta-this-world!

Every day - One homemaking thing you do every day: Make supper.

Freezer - Do you have a separate deep freeze? Yes, it's an upright we keep in the laundry room. Right now the freezer is packed with garden veggies.

Garbage Disposal - Y/N? Yes, but we mostly put the food garbage in the compost.

Handbook - What is your favorite homemaking resource? I don't really have one other than googling something I need to know when a situation arises. I don't have Martha's popular book, although my name is on the waiting list at the library.

Ironing - Love it or Hate it? Or hate it but love the results? Hate is a strong word to use, so let's say I strongly dislike ironing. I usually iron each piece as needed.

Junk Drawer - Y/N? Where is it are they? Yes, kitchen, laundry room, bedroom...

Kitchen - Color and decorating scheme? Country blues with basket wallpaper border; various cow accents and lots of houseplants.

Love - What is your favorite part of homemaking? When...the house is spic-and-span clean; delicious aromas are wafting from the kitchen; the table is set for company; the buffet is laid out with all sorts of wonderful choices; guests are gathered round; and Tom is praying for the food and the fellowship. So...my favorite part is when I'm standing there breathing a sigh of relief that it all got done, and I can relax knowing that the Lord helped us all work together to get the house ready for a delightful time with our friends.

Mop - Y/N? Yes, first with ammonia for deep-cleaning and then follow-up with mop-and-glo.

Nylons - Wash by hand or in the washing machine? Machine with the cold-water clothes.

Oven - Do you use the window or open the door to check? Open the door.

Pizza - What do you put on yours? Shredded chicken with red onion, pepperocini, cilantro, and bbq sauce.

Quiet - What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment? Read blogs if no one else is dialed up--a rarity in this house!

Recipe card box - Y/N? What does it look like? Yes, I have 2 long wooden recipe boxes that Tom made for me.

Style of house - What is the style of your house? Two-story brick, wrap-around front porch, built in 2002.

Tablecloths and napkins - Y/N? Yes, our dining room and nook tables are always covered with a tablecloth; we have several colors that are switched often. Cloth napkins and napkin rings are used when guests eat with us.

Under the kitchen sink - Organized or toxic wasteland? Basically organized with kitchen cleaners and my houseplant watering jug.

Vacuum - How many times per week? Maybe...every other week? Or when company comes.

Wash - How many loads of laundry do you do per week? 8 - 10

X's - Do you keep a list of things to do that you cross off? Only when I'm going out to do errands. Or if we have a big event and lots of chores need to get accomplished, but not on a daily basis.

Yard - Y/N? Who does what? Jonathan and Sarah (and sometimes Tom) mow the yard, which is probably 2+ acres out of 5 to mow. Hannah does most all the vegetable gardening. And I do most all the flower gardening. Everyone pitches in for outside chores like mulching, raking, or shoveling snow.

Zzz's - What is your last homemaking task before going to bed? Making sure the heat is turned down.

If you haven't already participated, consider yourself tagged!

~Deb

Finding My Knit-ch

I am not a knitter, but I am such a wanna-be knitter! My sister knits wonderful projects while she talks to me on the phone, and I read Tammy's knitting posts and so wish I could be a part of the knitting world. So many knitting blogs out there and so little creative know-how on my part!

This week I visited a new yarn shop, appropriately named On the Lamb, looking for a hard-to-locate set of five double-pointed needles in size 2. The shop was in an old, two-story, in-the-process-of-being-renovated Victorian home, which actually used to be a halfway house for those on the lam. Joe, the shop owner, greeted me as I walked in. That's Joe as in Joseph--not Jo as in Josephine. I think I was expecting a little old lady who would have time to sit down and show me how to cast stitches on the double-pointed needles (which Joe found for me immediately).

Joe was enthusiastic about his shop and seemed to know all there was to know about knitting, various yarns and the numerous companies that make them, and even dying your own strands. I know this because he was very friendly and wanted to share it all with me--quite interesting actually.

He offered coffee and invited me to relax in one of several wicker chairs cozily nestled in groupings for knitters. He sat as well and asked to glance at the Square-Along pattern I had brought with me. As I made myself at home while he brought out beautiful skeins of yarn for me to view, I wondered to myself, "What in the world am I doing here? I am so out of my league! Why isn't my sister who knows the language of knitting here to translate for me?"

The prices of the cashmere and other wonderful yarns Joe showed me were not quite the 40%-off-with-my-trusty-Michael's-coupon yarns I've bought in the past. In fact, when he asked me where I shopped for yarn, it was a little embarrassing to mention the chain stores instead of some quaint little yarn shop with all the latest expensive skeins on their shelves. Joe suggested I might like to visit Rocktown Yarns in Harrisonburg, which I just might check into...when my sister visits.

We walked outside to the wrap-around porch, and he showed me where to park in back on my next visit and even pointed out his rosemary plant and told me anyone was welcome to snip some anytime.

I left with the needles but no yarn. The Opal sock yarn, one of the yarns recommended, was available in the mocha color family and was $20+. That's probably a little high to buy just to knit a 7" square (which I've yet to learn to do) to mail off in hopes of being selected for the book to be published. Seeing as the deadline is February 1st, would I finish and mail it in time?

Me and my wild ideas. But who knows...I may go back and buy the yarn. It was pretty and so soft, and maybe one day I'll learn how to knit socks. Plus, I'd like to snip a piece of that rosemary.

~Deb

Finished!

Here is the finished baby blanket! And yes, the seams are SUPPOSED to look like that. When I showed it to Dad, he thought it wasn't done yet, but it is indeed completed. :)

I took pictures of both sides of the blanket - the top side is to the left, and the bottom is on the right. It really was an easy project to make, and I'm quite pleased with how it turned out!

~Sarah

Treasure Tuesday

Today's Treasure Tuesday is...drumroll, please! ...Y-O-U !

And that's because we appreciate all of you readers who drop by to read what we have to say--whether you leave a comment and identify yourselves or not. Of course, we'd love to know that you stopped by, how you found us, and how long you've been reading; but whether you do or not, it's a blessing to have you here! Those of you here recently were from these far-flung places across the country:

• Phoenix, Arizona
• Kingfisher, Oklahoma
• Bear River City, Utah
• Northridge, California
• Jamestown, New York
• Roanoke, Virginia
• Fairbanks, Alaska
• Wichita, Kansas
• St. Louis, Missouri
• Bellerive, Tasmania, Australia
• Elsternwick East, Australia
• Biloxi, Mississippi
• Maidens, Virginia
• Boise, Idaho
• Cropwell, Alabama
• Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
• Strasburg, Virginia
• Dallas, Texas
• Greenville, South Carolina
• Son En Breugel, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands
• Plano, Texas
• Williamsburg, Virginia
• Omaha, Nebraska
• Laurel, Mississippi
• Chattanooga, Tennessee
• Mountain View, California
• Portland, Maine
• West Frankfort, Illinois
• Madison, Wisconsin
• Hayward, California
• Cheshire, Connecticut
• Glasgow City, United Kingdom
• Middlefield, Connecticut
• Waynesboro, Virginia
• Charlottesville, Virginia
• Franklin, Tennessee
• Sterling, Illinois
• Canon City, Colorado
• Amelia Courthouse, Virginia
• Israel
• North Bay, Ontario, Canada
• Stevenage, Norfolk, United Kingdom
• Grandville, Michigan
• Birmingham, Alabama
• Smyrna, Georgia
• Newport News, Virginia

You all are the ones who make it worthwhile for us to keep doing what we do. As I type this, with 2 days remaining on our current blog account...we have renewed! Mountain Musings is back in business for not only another 12 months, but with an extra 2 months added free when we renewed. Thank you, Typepad! And thank you, dear friends and readers, from faraway places who have become our online friends. We appreciate Y-O-U!

"We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers." ~ I Thessalonians 1:2

~ Deb

Micah & Elizabeth on Sunday

Here's a picture taken on Sunday when Micah and Elizabeth traveled to Newport News to renew acquaintance with Drs. Jacob and Rosie visiting from India.

Special thanks to Van White for sending us the link to his photo website--a couple more pictures of Dr. Jacob and Micah and Elizabeth are here.

~Deb

Icy Morning

Winter, a lingering season, is a time to gather golden moments, embark upon a sentimental journey, and enjoy every idle hour. ~John Boswell

As a follow-up to yesterday's post about winter coming to the Valley...as you can see from this morning's picture, not much snow arrived--at least not the 3-5 inches predicted. This is our back yard hill, and the main country road is just down below the clump of trees on the right and where we park our vehicles whenever bad weather is on the way.

Tom called from work and said mostly the snow was icy and crunchy, and he made it down the hill just fine even though 612 was still slow going. His suitcase was packed and ready, but he left it here after learning that the outages were less than expected. So our prayers were answered in that he doesn't have to be away for a few days. PTL!

Jonathan's community college Spanish class is cancelled today, so it looks like the girls will have his help shoveling the driveway. I'm sure, just what he wanted to hear! :)

~Deb

Winter Comes to the Valley

I'm sitting here at the computer watching the freezing rain/wintry mix come down; our forecast is for significant icing tonight--not the best news for a Virginia Power worker's family.

Last night after hearing the snow predictions of 3-5 inches for our area, we decided to cancel our trip to Newport News, 3+ hours away, to see Dr. Jacob and hear him speak. Sigh. We had so looked forward to going and seeing everyone again.

However, Micah and Elizabeth decided to make the trip since they are already on the other side of the mountain. I'm looking forward to hearing all about it, and hopefully, there'll be pictures.

Tonight seems like a cozy time to snuggle by the fire after having a big bowl of chili and Hannah's homemade bread. I'm going to rustle up some grub now...

~Deb

Christian Homemaking Conference

Have you heard the news about the first online homemaking conference? Read about it at this link. Space is limited to the first 500 registrations. Below is the special announcement from Jennie Chancey of Ladies Against Feminism:

We are very excited to tell our readers that technology has finally made a long-held dream come true: the opportunity to speak “live” over the Internet from home to ladies all over the world! Wherever you can get a high-speed connection, you will be able to log in and join us for a one-day conference (10 a.m. to 2 p.m. CST) on March 17, 2007. This first ever Christian Homemaking Conference on the Internet will feature Kim Brenneman of Large Family Logistics; Jennifer McBride of Noble Womanhood; Victoria Botkin and her daughters, Anna Sofia and Elizabeth of Visionary Daughters; Lydia Sherman and her daughter, Lillibeth, and yours truly, LAF editor Jennie Chancey. Attendees will be able to log in to a special conference site that will include streaming audio in real-time, visual presentations during the talks, live chat, and Q&A with the speakers. No need to spend time on the road or buy plane tickets; you can curl up with a cup of tea or gather with a group of friends and enjoy this special event from the comfort of home! We truly look forward to “seeing” you there!

~Deb